


Zeo

by Beatbot (HeartInABoxx)



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:46:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26069692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeartInABoxx/pseuds/Beatbot
Summary: Let’s pretend that the Zeo Crystal could still sustain life on Earth, but power down enough to go dormant and draw the power away from the Coins, essentially taking away the Rangers' powers when it senses no immediate threat in the future.Also known as: The One Where They Lose Their Powers (for ten fucking years)
Relationships: Kimberly Hart/Trini
Comments: 24
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1

It’s been ten years. 

To the day.

It was the day that marked the beginning of the end of the Power Rangers.Or, at least, their powers. 

It’s that thought that hits her out of nowhere at 3am, waking her from a deep sleep with a gasp. 

It’s gotten easier as the years have gone by, not to want to cry any time she thinks about the biggest, most important thing to ever happen to her being ripped away before she even had a chance to really revel in it.

So…she’s been wide awake for 3 hours thinking about that day.Ten years ago, when her life changed.When everything that she thought really mattered was over. Taken from her.From them all.

And part of her was right.Being a Power Ranger had been the most important thing to her, and when it was taken away it nearly killed her.But then the other most important thing she’d ever had vanished from her life as well.

Kimberly Hart.

Lying in bed that morning, thinking about the past, she should have realized what was happening the moment her headache cleared. 

Because when you live for months with a constant headache due to an inoperable brain tumor, and suddenly it clears up? You should immediately suspect that something is up.

Rather than examine it, Trini just breathes a long, deep sigh, relieved to be free of the pain for however long it lasts.

“Hey, birthday girl.”

She flinches against the memory the words conjure. 

Ten years ago, to the day, she was waking up on the morning of her eighteenth birthday, and waking up to a very different girl in her bed. 

And it was Kimberly Hart that was whispering birthday wishes in her ear.

Trini hums, fighting the memory away as a slender arm winds its way around her body, pressing up under her tank top to tease the skin below.Lips press to her neck, and Trini rolls onto her back to give the wandering hands and lips easier access.

Her girlfriend, Brooke grins down at her, all sleep-mused dark curls and lips looking so kissable.Trini smiles and pulls her close.

They’ve been together for months.It works because Brooke travels for work a lot since she’s the freshest face of the Food Network, and she’s cashing in while she can, taking any gig she can get, from helping co-host The Kitchen, to taping episodes of The Best Thing I Ever Ate, to sampling the best pastries across the country on her very own show.

It’s actually how they met.

Trini’s bakery was just starting up. 

Yes.Bakery.

And also yes – she realizes that she’s literally the last person she ever expected to own a damn bakery.But it’s dope as hell, so sue her.

After Angel Grove, she moved to D.C. to attend culinary school, and she decided to specialize in pastries.Her grandmother left her a sizable inheritance (and some amazing family recipes), and she poured every dime into the bakery after she graduated.Then one day, a visiting celebrity chef from Food Network came in and sampled some of her treats, and almost overnight she blew up.

Brooke had been hosting her first show, which carried her across the country in search of America’s best cupcakes.Trini was one of the stops on her cupcake tour and it had certainly been lust at first sight.

Brooke straddles her hips and peels the tank top from Trini’s body, pausing long enough to pull her own over her head, letting dark curls spill over her shoulders, and for a moment, back-lit by the brilliant sun rise she almost looks like Kimberly fucking Hart.

Trini shakes her head as lips tease their way down her skin, hands mapping out separate paths to stimulate as much of Trini’s body as they can reach, and finally the last scrap of fabric is peeled from her body and a hot mouth descends where she wants it most.

One hand twines in dark hair, holding her close, but with one gentle tug Brooke hisses up at her, “Easy, sweetie.”

She pulls her hands away to wind around the metal of the headboard and the metal whines under her fingers, eventually giving way and bending beneath her hands.Her heels dig into the mattress and a hand presses low on her belly to keep her hips from bucking too hard as Brooke’s tongue swipes long and hard against her.

It’s building fast and she can feel herself careening into what’s shaping up to be one hell of an orgasm when two slender fingers press deep within her with no preamble whatsoever, and it makes her bite her lip, humming her approval.The wet warmth backs off from between her legs and lands against her right breast for a moment as fingers pump long and slow inside her.

“Come on, love,” Brooke whispers hotly in her ear. 

Trini tilts her chin to meet her lips in a rough kiss and her hips buck once, twice and she comes long and hard when a thumb presses roughly on her clit.

She moans into Brooke’s mouth as her hips rut, chasing the last of the orgasm, before she slumps, boneless, into the mattress.

Her hips twitch as fingers pull gently out of her, and she breathes deep to try to slow her pounding heart.

“Damn, sweetie,” Brooke whispers.“I made you do that?”

Trini follows her sight line and glances up, realizing she’s totally twisted the metal of the headboard into a jumbled mess.“Oh shit.”

“It’s fine,” Brooke assures her with a kiss.“It was really old.I need a new one anyways.”

She watches Brooke roll off the bed in all her glory, before she pulls on one of Trini’s over-sized band shirts.

“Breakfast when you’re ready, birthday girl!” she calls as she exits the room.

Trini considers taking a nap, but her brain is buzzing with everything she has to do for the day, so she settles for taking a few minutes just to relax.

But something feels different.

She can feel it almost like a current running under her skin.And she’s nearly overwhelmed with a feeling of happiness and excitement. 

Maybe she’s just really jazzed about her birthday?But that seems odd.She’s never really cared much about them.

Odd.

She spares a glance up at the headboard once more before she rolls out of bed to pull on a few items of clothing and heads for the kitchen.

Trini finds a mug of coffee flavored exactly as she likes it on the counter waiting for her when she gets into the kitchen.She hums happily as she sips, and situates herself on the counter top next to the stove to watch Brooke expertly tilt a pan with Trini’s favorite crepe recipe.She watches Brooke’s hands as she flips the crepe in the pan, and as she turns to the island behind her to fill and fold the few crepes she’s already made.Brooke turns back to the stove just as the batter is golden brown and perfect and she flips them with the ease of having done it thousands of times.She finishes them off with strawberries, dusting them with powdered sugar, and hands a plate to Trini, who sets it aside in favor of trapping Brooke with her legs, locking them behind her body to keep her close.She shivers as fingers trail up her thighs.

“You’re in a good mood,” Brooke notes with a grin, eyes narrowing playfully.“Birthday orgasms did the trick?”

“You’re just really awesome,” Trini tells her, sliding her arms around Brooke’s shoulders to pull her close enough to kiss.

“Ditto,” Brooke says with a wide, charming smile and a wink. 

Trini is sort of struck breathless by how beautiful she is, even with her hair tugged into a messy bun, face free of makeup, glasses on, and wearing nothing but one of Trini’s metal band t-shirts. 

She can see why Brooke is on her way up at the Food Network.Lazy dark curls, bright blue eyes, a wide pearly white smile and charisma for days.She’s got Giada’s beauty and Katie Lee’s sweet southern charm. 

The girl is drop dead.

And her adorable barely there southern accent is just a bonus.

Trini’s foot is bouncing with excess energy that she can’t explain and Brooke catches sight of it, an amused grin quirking her lips, and one perfectly manicured brow rising in silent question.“What’s with you this morning?”

Trini shrugs.“No idea.Just antsy I guess?”

“Hmm,” Brooke hums against her lips, leaning in close.“If I had time, I’d wear you out properly.”

“Oh yeah?” Trini asks, amusement coloring her tone. 

“Mmm-hmm,” Brooke agrees happily.Their lips press together slowly, softly, and Trini tightens her hold, sighing when fingers slide along her bare thighs again.Brooke breaks the kiss reluctantly, her forehead pressed to Trini’s.“Hmm.No time, love.”

She pulls away to lean back against the island across from where Trini is seated and they both pick at the crepes and sip their coffee. 

Well, Brooke eats a few bites of hers, Trini absolutely devours hers.Then she eats the remainder of Brooke’s. She’s ravenous.

It’s odd.

“No idea where you put it all,” Brooke tells her with a fond smile.She folds up two more and hands those to Trini as well.

Trini’s grin is lopsided, and she shrugs, but then her lips purse as she considers the question on the tip of her tongue, deciding to bite the bullet.“How long this time?”

Brooke deflates a little, clearly anticipating the question, but hoping it wasn’t going to be voiced this morning.“Two months.”

Two months apart?It gets longer every time Brooke leaves.

“Don’t,” Brooke says before Trini can even open her mouth.“I know it’s not ideal, but it’s really important.”

“I know,” Trini sighs.

“I don’t want to fight about this again, okay?” Brooke says softly.“I don’t want it to ruin your birthday.”

“Yeah,” Trini agrees, even though she sort of feels like it already has.

Brooke pinches her chin affectionately, obviously reading the disappointment in her eyes.“I’ll fly you out.Apparently, there’s this little place in Seattle that is to die for.Maybe we can spend a few days in Vancouver between shooting?”

Trini nods and tries to smile, but she’s sure it looks as half-hearted as it feels.

“That’s my girl,” Brooke murmurs, pressing a kiss to her temple.“Don’t forget, sweetie,” she says as she cuts off a piece of crepe to feed to Trini with a smirk, replacing the fork with her mouth.“Birthday celebration tonight. Everyone is meeting us at nine.I have to meet you there, but I can send a car?”

“That’s okay,” Trini replies once she swallows, trying not to let the disappointment of Brooke’s job ruin her morning.“I’ll Uber”

“Kay,” Brooke kisses her one more time.“I have to hit the test kitchen this morning, but I’ll see you tonight?” 

“Hey.”Trini catches her wrist before she can get too far.“Thanks, B.This was a great morning.”

Brooke smiles wide and charming again, winking as she exits the room to get ready.

She takes stock of the morning as she stares at her hands, flexing and extending her fingers, because the feeling is unmistakable now that she’s finally figured out what the hell is going on.

Her powers are back.


	2. Chapter 2

_She remembers it like it was yesterday._

_Ten years to the day, probably to the minute._

_She and Kimberly bang their way into Kim’s room, fighting halfheartedly for control, pushing each other into the nearest wall (carefully), stripping each other’s clothes off as they make their way to the bed._

_Kimberly collapses on top of Trini, smiling down at her with a soft sort of affection that is such a stark contrast from the bruising kisses.Kim always smiles at her like Trini is her entire world._

_At times it takes her breath away._

_Then, suddenly, it’s like an internal power surge.Like the kind thunderstorms cause when the power flickers off for a moment before returning._

_But it’s internal._

_They both feel it immediately, like someone flipped a switch off inside them both and only bothered turning it halfway back on.The link between them is the first thing they note the absence of._

_They panic, of course.All of them.Through a series of calls and hurried, misspelled texts, they agree to meet at the ship as soon as possible.They realize once they arrive at the cliff, that no one is particularly eager to jump off the cliff suddenly.They jump together eventually, hands clasped together, and they all scramble inside to find Alpha waiting for them._

_Alpha waves them towards the grid and Zordon.“He’s waiting for you.Don’t panic, Rangers.We’ll sort this out.”_

_Trini can hardly focus on his words.He tries to be encouraging, telling them that it’s probably nothing to worry about and their powers will restore themselves.He thinks it has something to do with the Crystal, but Trini is too busy panicking, pressed tightly into Kimberly’s side as Zordon rambles as much as a wall can._

_They decide to camp out like they did all those months ago, and they put on brave faces for one another, swearing that they’ll stay, and they’ll fight even if Earth doesn’t need them to any longer.But the moment they’re pressed together in their tent, Trini completely falls apart in Kimberly’s arms._

The next morning there’s a knock on her the door and when she opens it, Jason Scott is standing outside.He still somehow barely looks a day over eighteen.His hair is shorter and a little darker, but otherwise he looks exactly the same.

“Hey, T,” he greets casually before she can say anything, like they’ve seen each other more than once over the last ten years.“I’m not sure how to tell you this, but we’re back.The Rangers, I mean.”

She swings the door wider to reveal a large suitcase sitting in the middle of the living room.“I was just about to book a flight.”

He grins and holds up two paper tickets.“Way ahead of you, babe.”

He takes a step closer and holds his arms open, remembering how she used to be about touching with anyone that wasn’t Kimberly.Trini rolls her eyes fondly and lets him pull her into a long, tight, only-a-Ranger-could-survive-it hug.

“Good to see you, Trini,” he whispers.

Trini smiles.“You too, Jase.”

Jason grabs the suitcase and rolls it to the elevator and down to the lobby.

“It’s like you were expecting me,” Jason notes.

“Ranger bond?I could feel one of you getting closer,” Trini tells him as they jump in the back of a cab.“Plus, I figured that getting our mojo back would mean a trip home, so…,”

“Disappointed it’s me?” he asks softly.

She smirks and shoves him gently, still getting used to the extra strength.“Absolutely not, Jase.It’s good to see you.And I’m sort of relieved it wasn’t…,” she trails off, biting her lip to keep from saying her name.“Not that she’d…hey, at least we didn’t have to get hit by a train this time.”

The driver gives them an odd look over his shoulder as he maneuvers through D.C. traffic.

The drive to the airport isn’t long and soon enough they’re through security and killing time until they board.They grab coffee and peruse the airport shops for magazines and gum and a deck of cards, and it’s only in then that it hits her that she’s going home.

Her parents moved ages ago.After her brothers graduated, they moved to Florida and bought a condo that she and her brothers visit for Christmas and family vacations, and she sees her brothers a few times a year, with one living in New York and the other closer to their parents in Florida.

She’s nervous about seeing Zack.He was the closest to her after Kimberly, and she’s definitely slacked off with phone calls and texts over the last few years.They haven’t been face to face in four years, when all the Rangers came home for his mother’s funeral.

Her phone rings and the screen flashes with Brooke’s name and the sweetest picture of the two of them at the beach, Trini grinning at the camera as lips are pressed to her cheek.They’re both smiling broadly, hair whipping in the wind.They’re carefree and happy and it twists at Trini’s guts to see her face.

She knows she can’t put off the inevitable, so she picks up with a cringe, knowing it’s going to be bad.How can she really explain to a normal person that her superhero powers have suddenly come back after ten years and she has to go to California to reunite with friends she hasn’t seen properly in years only to fight something that may or may not be trying to end the world?

Family emergency?Brooke knows they’re in Florida so that won’t fly.

Guess she’ll just have to wing it.

Trini hangs up the phone twenty minutes later with a sigh.She stares at it for a moment before she joins Jason seated nearby, dropping down so heavily that her chair creaks.

“Jesus,” she says, glancing up to see if anyone else noticed.“Having my powers again after all this time is really a trip.”

“Tell me about it,” Jason sighs, running a hand through his hair.“I pulled the door off the refrigerator yesterday morning.Billy and Zack were not impressed.”

Trini smiles at the thought of them.“I can’t believe you guys still live together after all this time.”

“We can’t all be celebrity chefs,” Jason quips, winking at her, because he knows how much she actually hates it.The celebrity, the attention, even paparazzi when no one more interesting is in town on any given night.He smirks as he spies a couple behind them trying to determine if they’re looking at Trini Gomez in the airport, and he watches them try to subtly take her picture.

“Screw you,” she replies with a smirk.“I just date hot celebrity chefs.”

Jason laughs, tossing his arm across the back of her chair and crossing one leg over the other.He tilts his chin towards her phone.“Everything okay with that?”

“No,” Trini sighs, shaking her head.“She’s leaving me.” 

“Oh.Shit.”

“How was I supposed to explain this?She’ll be on the road for the next three months anyways, so this would have happened sooner or later.”

“Sorry, T.”

“It was actually a really amicable split,” Trini sighs.“We had a really good time together.She traveled enough that I never felt smothered.Our chemistry was sort of off the charts.And damn she was hot.”They both laugh, and she shakes her head again.“It’s for the best, right?We have our powers back, and no one will ever understand what that means except for us.”

“Truth,” Jason mutters.

“So, why the need to hop on a plane to come get me?” she asks, finally voicing the question that’s been on her mind all morning.“You could have called. I would have come.”

Jason shrugs and suddenly won’t meet her gaze.“We just figured you and Kimberly would need a little convincing.We never left, so it’s easy for us.You and Kim built whole lives on the other side of the country.So, we decided to divide and conquer.”

Trini smirks.“Strange you came to me and sent Zack to her.Smart to send Billy with him though.No one can say no to that face.”

“Zack and Kim talk,” Jason says with a shrug.“Kind of a lot.”

Trini tries to ignore the stab of jealousy.“Oh.”

“You were his best friend and her girlfriend,” Jason says gently.“I think they bonded over that after everything.They both miss you, Trini.We all do.”

She resists the urge to say something cutting or rude, but only because this is Jason and she knows that he’s not saying anything out of spite.He’s just being honest.

“Well, I’m here, aren’t I?”

Jason nods, and opens his mouth, but before he can say anything their seats are being called to board.He stands and reaches a hand out to her, smiling softly when she takes it and they board hand in hand.

He grins at her before take off.“I had sort of given up hope that this would ever happen.”

“Me too,” she agrees, and with every inch of distance closing between herself and her fellow Rangers, she can feel the hope and the happiness from them all through the bond, and it swells to a near boiling point the closer they get to home


	3. Chapter 3

They pull up to a nice two-story home several hours later, and it’s clearly well taken care of. The lawn is mowed, and the bushes are trimmed. There are two modest sedans in the driveway, which means the boys and Kimberly beat them back. She’s not sure why that matters. Maybe if she’d gotten to the house first she would have found some even ground to stand on before facing her. Now she’s walking into who knows what, totally unprepared.

But she’s not alone.

Trini can feel the half moons her nails are cutting into her palms as she thinks about going inside and facing her friends again.

“Come on,” Jason says finally, popping his door open. “The guys are excited to see you.”

He exits the car without awaiting her response, so he can grab her bags from the trunk.

“It’s not the guys I’m worried about,” she mumbles to herself.

_Jason and Billy come to Saturday detention one morning a few weeks after the ‘power outage’ and they both look positively sick. The five of them huddle around a table, speaking quietly to keep the snoozing teacher out of their hair._

_“We went to see Zordon again,” Jason tells them, his face pale. “I couldn’t stand it any longer.”_

_The other four wait for him to continue, but Jason suddenly looks close to tears and the tension at the table increases ten-fold._

_“He said when the Crystal senses a period of calm, it sort of powers itself down. It can still sustain life on Earth. He said it serves two purposes; one, to keep itself more hidden from anyone that wants to use it to destroy the world, and two to allow the Rangers a reprieve.”_

_“What does that mean?” Zack asks._

_Jason, if possible, goes even paler than he was. “It means that our powers will eventually fade, and the coins will probably shut off.”_

_“What?” Trini exclaims, startling everyone in the room. Though somehow the teacher remains asleep._

_“What does that mean?” Zack asks. “We won’t be Rangers?”_

_“We will be,” Jason says. “He said it could be for a month, it could be a year. If the crystal senses danger, we’ll be powered up again.”_

_“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” Kimberly says. “What do we do in the meantime? Just be normal teenagers? No training? No Zords? What do we do if trouble shows up unexpectedly? We’ll be totally out of practice.”_

_“He almost made it seem like the Crystal could see into the future or something,” Jason tells them, his voice shaking with emotion. “It was weird.”_

_“So, we’ll have our powers until we don’t?” Zack asks._

_“And then we might again,” Jason says with a nod._

_“Think of our Power reserves like a battery,” Billy pipes in. “Batteries have juice until they don’t. The more they’re used, the quicker they’re depleted.”_

_“The good news is he made it seem like it was temporary,” Jason tells them. “We have to think big picture here. It’s a small price to pay for the Crystal staying safe. Right?”_

_They all sort of hardheartedly agree, but he can see the unease in their expressions._

_“This doesn’t change anything for me,” Billy tells them. “I’m staying, and I’m fighting, until my battery dies.”_

_“Me too,” Jason swears._

_“I’m down,” Trini says, and she sinks into Kimberly’s side when an arm is wrapped around her._

_“Me too,” Kim agrees._

_“Ride or die,” Zack promises._

_It comes as no surprise to anyone that Zack wears out what’s left of his powers first. It takes about six months,and he calls Trini in the middle of the night in a panic, sobbing, wondering what he’s going to do with the rest of his life._

_She untangles herself from Kimberly, so she can take his call. He’s on the verge of a panic attack and she invites him over without hesitation, then slips back into her bedroom to wake Kimberly long enough to get her into some clothes and tell her what’s up._

_Zack doesn’t say a word when he climbs in her window, Trini just grasps his hand and pulls him into the bed beside her and holds his hand all night, Kimberly’s arm slung across them both._

_Jason is next._

_He tries to take it like a champ, and he tries to be strong for the team, but Kimberly finds him crying behind school one day and it breaks everyone’s hearts._

_Then Trini._

_She tried so hard to make it last, because she knew the loss would be devastating, but she didn’t make it nearly as long as she hoped she would. She cries for days after._

_Billy loses his next, and he swears he’s okay as long as they stay friends._

_Kimberly’s flame out in one last act of heroism._

_She saves a little girl from being hit by a car and is hit herself instead. What’s left of her powers save her from dying, but the rest of the Rangers still have a long night in the hospital. And Kimberly is left with a few scars that don’t fade._

Jason holds her hand until they get to the front door, where he pushes inside and drags her suitcase in behind him. Trini follows along into the house, where she can hear voices coming from somewhere nearby.

“Gang’s all here,” Jason says with a wink, and she can feel his excitement. She can feel them all. They’re a jumble of feelings at the moment, and she’s having trouble sorting out her own from the mess. 

She’s out of practice.

She follows Jason into the kitchen and can hear him greeting Kimberly, but before she can even glance at the Pink Ranger, Zack has his arms around her, scooping her up to spin her around, peppering her face with kisses.

“Crazy girl!”

She laughs and squeezes him tightly, content to let him spin her around the kitchen for a moment. When he sets her down, they both sway a little from dizziness, but she presses her palm to his cheek. Then she slaps him lightly. Just to keep him on his toes. And because he’s Zack.

“Good to see you, homeboy.”

He winks at her and steps aside so Billy can hug her as well.

“Hi, Trini,” he says as he hugs her tightly.

“Billy Boy,” she whispers. “It’s so good to see you.”

He steps back from the hug and the room goes sort of still and silent. Kimberly is across the kitchen, leaned back against the counter casually, nursing a beer (which is odd, because Kimberly Hart never drank beer) and the sight of her leaves Trini breathless.

She’s stunning.

Her hair is a little longer and her eyes a little older, but she’s still the most beautiful girl Trini has ever seen. She’s dressed casually in dark skinny jeans, boots and a tank top with a leather jacket over it, and she looks so effortlessly beautiful that Trini physically aches.

The boys seem to be waiting to see what they’ll do, so Trini offers a hesitant smile.

“Hey, Kim,” she says. “It’s good to see you.”

She’s playing nice. It’s certainly not what she’s used to, but it’s a skill she’s learned to perfect after years owning her own business that revolves around customer service and smiling.

Kim stands and stares at her for a long moment, a hazy mix of hurt and anger simmering just below the surface of her aloof expression, which even after all these years Trini can tell is carefully crafted and hard to maintain.

It makes her ache inside, and suddenly she can only imagine what her face looks like.

“Hey, T.”

It’s not exactly a warm welcome, but it’s not as horrible as she was expecting, so Trini calls it a win.

“Drinks?” Zack offers. “Maybe then things will be a little less awkward?”

Trini’s eyes cut to him, narrowing as they do in a silent sort of warning. It’s awkward enough without the boys mentioning how awkward it is.

“A drink would be awesome,” Trini tells him. “Rum and coke?”

Zack nods, turning to Kimberly. “Kimmy? Whiskey sour?”

Trini’s brow furrows, because no one has ever gotten away with calling Kimberly ‘Kimmy’ (other than her, obviously). Jason had tried back in the day and nearly had his head taken off.

“Thanks, Z,” Kimberly replies with a wink, setting her beer bottle aside. She presses her palms into the counter behind her and eases herself up to sit on the surface gracefully. 

Zack confirms with the boys what they want, and he begins mixing in the corner of the kitchen where they keep all the mixers.

“So, how’s the art world, Kim?” Jason asks once she has her drink.

Kimberly shrugs. “It’s about what you’d expect. Pretentious artists, pretentious galleries. Sometimes my eyes feel like I’m going to roll them right out of my head.”

“Art?” Trini can’t help herself. And the dead silence of the kitchen at her question is enough to make her wish she could pluck the words out of the air and stuff them back in her mouth.

“I’m a private art dealer in New York,” Kimberly clarifies. “I double majored in business and art at NYU.”

“Oh.” She has no idea what else to say because she honestly has no idea what that even means.

“I have a hard time believing that my job is the strangest one of all of us,” Kimberly tells her with a pointed look.

“You mean you never would have guessed that the little loner of our group would own a dope bakery?” Zack asks teasingly.

“You knew I baked!” Trini exclaims, pointing accusingly at Kimberly before she can stop herself.

Jason’s brow rises, and she can see him fighting a smirk. Trini wants to reach across the table and smack the smirk right off his pretty face (playfully, of course…mostly), but Kimberly opens her mouth again.

“Yes; you made me cupcakes,” Kimberly agrees. “Once! And they were insanely good. But I had no idea you wanted to turn that into a career.”

There’s a fleeting moment of clarity between them. Kim’s face transforms into an expression Trini isn’t sure she’d ever see again. It’s warm and teasing and it somehow makes her feel like they’re the only two people in the room.

“Aww, you made her cupcakes?” Jason teases, snapping Trini out of her daze, and suddenly the urge to smack him (not playfully) gets stronger.

“I opened the bakery to honor my grandmother,” Trini mumbles with a shrug. “She taught me everything I know. And I think she would have been proud. I never knew it would get as big as it did. Obviously, I never wanted this kind of attention.”

“You seem to have acclimated well,” Kimberly tells her, a hint of bitterness coloring her tone. All the warmth from before is gone and the words hit her with the blunt force of a boot to her gut.

“I fucking hate it,” Trini tells them bluntly. “But business is really good, and I feel like that’s a gift horse that I shouldn’t really stare in the face.”

“I’m really proud of you, Trini,” Billy tells her.

She grins. “Thanks, Billy.”

“We all are,” Kimberly tells her softly. “Obviously.”

“I think we need some shots,” Zack says once the silence becomes a bit too much for them all.

He turns before anyone even responds and pours a round of rum shots, passing them out with little fanfare.

“To the Power Rangers being back together!” he toasts happily, and he grins when they all echo his toast.

“Hmm,” Trini hums as she chases her shot with her drink. The shot warms her as it makes its way through her system.

“Alright, let’s see ‘em, Rangers,” Zack exclaims as he holds his Power Coin out to show the group that it’s shining brightly again (well, as brightly as a black coin can shine). He’s beside himself with excitement.

The rest of them pull theirs from their pockets and hold them out, standing shoulder to shoulder in a loose circle.

The reflection from the coins bathes their faces in a rainbow of color and Trini can read the excitement in each of them.

“Damn, that’s a sight for sore eyes,” Trini says.

They meet each other’s eyes excitedly, but Trini can’t make herself look away from the sight of Kimberly’s face bathed in a soft pink hue, eyes shining with an excitement that used to make Trini’s heart stutter in her chest. 

Kimberly suddenly seems to feel the weight of her stare, and meets Trini’s eyes, and her expression morphs, and suddenly that sad sort of anger is back, making Trini’s stomach clench painfully.

Then she’s reminded that Kimberly was the one that left first, and her own petty anger returns

The boys seem to notice and move the party into the living room, where they pass around video game remotes, taking turns half-halfheartedly beating one another at Mario Kart, when they’re all more interested in catching up.

“So, I’m curious,” Zack starts, his eyes dancing mischievously as he hands his controller to Billy to drop down to the couch. “What was everyone up to when they came back? That shit woke me up from a dead sleep and I know someone was getting lucky.”

“Sleeping,” Jason mumbles.

“Me too,” Billy says. 

“Actually,” Kimberly mumbles irritably. “I was right in the middle of something. Or, more accurately, something was in the middle of me.” She smirks when the boys all make a face that any big brother would make when their sister talks about sex. Then Kimberly’s dark eyes land on her, and she fights to keep from reacting in any way. She won’t let Kim’s mean girl act get to her. “There was an upside to not having our powers. Being able to screw normal people without worrying about breaking them. Of course, some of us probably benefited from that more than others.”

Trini keeps her head bowed, able to feel all eyes on the room on her. 

“T?” Zack asks.

“Not tonight,” Trini says. “Skip me.”

“Ha!” he exclaims. “You were totally getting busy, too. You can’t lie to me, T.”

“I didn’t lie,” Trini grumbles, feeling like she’s got Kimberly’s eyes burning a hole right through her. But before she can say another word, the lights are snapped off and a glowing ball of light appears behind Zack.

Trini actually feels sort of touched when she realizes Billy is carrying a birthday cake topped with candles into the room.

The boys begin to sing, horribly and off-key, and Trini can barely make out Kim’s voice blended with theirs

When she started her shop, she never knew it was going to be as big as it became. The money her grandmother left her was enough to get a shop in the right part of town, and all it took was one celebrity chef to try her desserts, and it felt like overnight she blew up. 

First, there was the first appearance on The Best Thing I Ever Ate. The morning after it aired there was a line around the block to get into the shop. Then she started dating one of the hot new stars on the Food Network, which led to paparazzi and more press than she ever wanted. But it was good for business, so she never looked that particular gift horse in the mouth. 

After the celebrity chef, Trini went on to date too many girls to name. Her shop was featured on the Food Network again. She beat Bobby Flay in a cupcake war, and her popularity went through the roof again. She was treated like royalty, and even turned down a few of her own TV gigs.

Beautiful women were clamoring to date her, and Trini took advantage of it and played the field for a while.

Trini finds herself on the back porch nursing a beer a little while later. She’s antsy and exhausted all at the same time and she can’t seem to sit still inside the house. Outside doesn’t make it feel like the world is closing in on her. 

She can hear her friends inside laughing, and again she can’t help but feel a bit like the outsider of the group. The boys are so close after living together for years, and Kimberly is getting along with them so well. It stirs up waves of insecurities in her that she hasn’t felt since high school.

Kimberly and Jason had been the popular kids, and Jason had taken Billy under his wing almost immediately, and Zack had always been the child that kept the family together. She never really knew how she fit in, until Kimberly asked her out.

Then it was like her whole world made sense.

She had never believed in notions like soul mates before Kimberly, but knowing she was able to love someone so fully and so completely made her believe that if soul mates existed, hers was Kimberly Hart.

“Hiding from Kim?”

Trini glances up to find Jason standing there with two bottles in one hand as he closes the back door with the other.

“No,” Trini replies with a grin.

He takes a seat next to her and hands one bottle over. “From Zack?”

“Not really hiding,” she says. “More like basking. And I’m a little antsy.”

Jason grins. “I get it.” He’s silent for a few minutes and they both sit quietly, sipping their beers and taking in the night. 

“She missed you, you know.”

His voice is soft, and unsure, like he’s worried he might set her off.

Trini sighs, because she was really hoping to avoid this particular conversation, with anyone. 

“Maybe you don’t want to hear it,” he continues when she remains silent. “But she was sort of a mess for a long time after she left.”

“So was I!” Trini exclaims immediately.

“I know, T,” Jason tells her softly, hands up in a gesture of surrender. “I get why she left, and I get why you left. But please just remember that you’re not the only one that was hurting.”

Trini gets the feeling he’s talking about more than just Kimberly, and she feels a stab of regret at the way she up and left just a few months after Kimberly did.

“Do you think Rita is back?”

She’s a few drinks in, so her brain to mouth filter is a little loose, and the thing that has been gnawing at her finally is voiced aloud.

Jason inhales a deep breath through his nose and puffs his cheeks out as he exhales slowly. “I don’t know. It could literally be anything.”

Another minute of silence, and then, “She looks really good, Jase,” Trini sighs out.

“Rita?”

Her eyes narrow and she shoves him playfully when he grins at her.

“Kimberly. How is it possible she’s gotten more beautiful as she’s gotten older?”

“Some of us are lucky that way,” he tells her. He winks at her. “It’s genetics, baby.”

Trini laughs and shoves him. “You’re ridiculous.”

“If it’s any consolation, you’re one of those people, too,” Jason says with a shrug. “I think you look beautiful.”

Trini sort of melts a little. “You, Jason Scott, are too sweet for your own good sometimes.”

He stands up and offers his hand to her. “Ready to go back, or do you want some more air?”

“Give me five minutes?” she says.

It’s just sort of understood that the girls will stay with the guys as long as they’re back in town, going on about team bonding, and they drink well into the night, taking shots and mixing drinks, but even the alcohol can’t mend the tear down the middle of the group. 

Trini falls right back into old habits with the boys. Zack declares them BFF’s again like nothing changed, and Billy is as sweet as ever, offering her his bed for the duration of her stay, which she declines politely, but it’s a touching gesture from someone who is particular about his things. And of course, Jason is Jason. Not-so-subtly pushing the team to bond, knowing it’s only going to help.

And Kimberly gets along with the boys even better. It’s strange because back then, the boys had been almost an afterthought to Kim in terms of the team. She loved them and respected them and was willing to die for any one of them, but everyone knew her entire universe had revolved around Trini.

When it’s time to retire they mention that they only have one guest bedroom.

“All yours,” Trini tells Kimberly, unable to even look at her. “The Princess shouldn’t sleep on the sofa.”

Kimberly’s eyes narrow dangerously, and her mouth opens, but Jason jumps in before anything comes out.

“Alright, it’s been a long day,” he tells them all. “Let’s talk in the morning.”

“I was just gonna thank her, Jason,” Kimberly mutters irritably as he pulls her away.

“No, you weren’t,” Jason replies.

“Sure I was,” Kimberly says, snatching her arm back as they head down the hall. “But that wasn’t all I was gonna say.”

Zack snorts as he watches them disappear down the hall. “T, you can have my room. I’ll take the couch.”

“It’s cool,” Trini tells him. “I don’t mind. I won’t sleep much anyways.”

He surprises her by pulling her into a tight hug. “I missed you, Crazy Girl.”

Her arms tighten around her and she feels the Ranger bond, like it’s wrapping them in a warm blanket. “You too, Z.”


	4. Chapter 4

Trini tosses and turns all night, barely managing more than a few hours of sleep. She’s jetlagged and overtired and still on East Coast time and she can’t wait to get back to the ship. 

Some time around 5, the sun starts to peek over the horizon and she’s up, hands itching to bake something. She scours the cabinets and hums happily when she realizes the boys have everything she needs to make her favorite breakfast bread pudding.

She slips her wireless earbuds into her ears and gets to work in the kitchen. Music pumping, she chops and mixes and prepares, finally putting the dish into the oven, jumping up to sit on the counter next to the coffee pot, where she fixes herself a cup.

The kitchen door swings open and she freezes when Kimberly enters.

“East coast time,” they both say at the same time.

“I was just hoping for some coffee,” Kimberly says.

Trini waves towards it. “All yours.”

Kimberly draws in a shuddering breath and crosses the kitchen to pour herself a cup, adding more sugar and cream than should be allowed, and it makes Trini smirk, sort of pleased that some things never change.

“What?” Kimberly is standing leaning against the counter with an unreadable expression.

Trini shrugs one shoulder up. “Haven’t grown out of your sweet tooth?”

Kimberly lets the corners of her lips twitch. “After I moved I gained about fifteen pounds because it didn’t burn off as quickly. I still haven’t lost it all.”

Trini shakes her head. “You look great, Kim.” She wants to cringe at how stupid she sounds, but it’s the truth. She was certainly well acquainted with Kimberly’s body, and always found her almost too thin. The Ranger powers brought a layer of lean muscle that filled her out some, but even that didn’t seem like enough. 

Kimberly is silent, staring at Trini for a moment. Then her chin tilts up as she sniffs the air around them, gaze growing curious. “What smells so good?”

“Breakfast,” Trini tells her, jutting a thumb at the oven. “Should be another ten minutes?”

Kimberly nods. 

“What do you think Zordon is gonna tell us?” Kimberly asks softly, dark eyes rising to meet hers before dropping to stare into her mug like her coffee holds all the answers.

Trini stares at her for a moment, because all she can hear is her brain chanting one name over and over again.

Rita.

It’s been on a constant loop through her head since the moment she realized her powers were back, and she wants to badly to tell Kimberly, because no one knows better than Kim how badly Rita had affected her all those years ago, and she can’t explain how deep down she just knows that she’s back.

“I don’t know.”

Kimberly doesn’t look convinced, but she nods once, letting it go. She’s silent for a moment as she stares into her mug. Her mouth opens, but the door swings open again to find a half-asleep Zack, practically following his nose to the coffee and oven.

“Mmm, Crazy girl will you marry me?” he mumbles as he peeks into the oven and moves to pour some coffee. “If Kim won’t wife you, I totally will.”

“You wish,” Trini replies with a grin, ignoring the way her cheeks flush. She meets Kimberly’s eyes over the rim of her mug, noting a similar flush over her cheeks.

“Still so mean, even ten years later,” he sighs playfully. He sips his coffee and groans at the taste. “Damn, girl. Even your coffee is totally on point. What’s the secret?”

“Dating the heiress to a massive coffee empire?” Kimberly asks, a challenge in her dark eyes, sounding equal parts snide and jealous suddenly. 

The snark throws Trini for a loop. Kimberly can’t seem to decide how to act around her, one moment seeming sullen and the next she’s angry.

“That helped.” Trini smirks, not taking the bait. “She certainly taught me a thing or two.”

Zack glances between them and lets out a low whistle at the insinuation in Trini’s tone, but doesn’t make a move to exit the room.

“About coffee, Zack,” she says, though her expression tells them both she taught Trini much more than just coffee.

“Sure,” Zack agrees. “Coffee.”

“So, what’s our plan today?” Trini asks, topping up her mug. “The ship to see Wall Dad?”

Zack smirks at the name. “I think that’s what Jase was hoping for. We wanted to go right away, but figured it would be best to wait until we could all go. If we could all go.”

“Please tell me you animals have more than one shower?” Trini asks hopefully.

Zack grins. “You can use mine. It’s the biggest of the two.”

“Dibs,” Trini says, grinning a wide, toothy smile when Kim sort of glares at her.

They do their best to make small talk until Trini’s timer goes off a few minutes later. She pulls the dish from the oven and sets it on the counter, grinning when she realizes it came out perfect. She takes her time to crumble her secret topping over it, popping it back in the oven for a minute under the broiler.

“Damn, Crazy Girl,” Zack whistles over her shoulder once she pulls it from the oven again. “I figured you were good when they had you on Food Network twice, but this is the stuff dreams are made of.”

Trini grins, rolling her eyes. “Always with your heart in your stomach.” She scoops out a healthy portion for him and then one for Kimberly as well, who she can practically see drooling from across the kitchen.

Kimberly nods her thanks as she takes the bowl, “Is this how you win all your girls over?” she questions, not meeting her gaze. “By baking for them?”

Trini opens her mouth to snark about how Kimberly seems awfully curious about the girls in her life, when Jason and Billy stumble half-asleep into the room mumbling about food.

Trini leans into Zack’s shoulder, warmed straight through by the closeness coming back so easily. She sprinkles a little granulated sugar on top. “Try this.”

Trini makes Jason and Billy bowls and smiles adoringly as Billy pours himself a glass of milk to go with his. They rave over her breakfast creation, even though she knows it was about as basic as she could do. But still, it warms her to sit in the boys’ kitchen surrounded by the people she was once closest to, the Ranger bond mending itself little by little in a little suburban house in Angel Grove.

XXXXXXX

They decide to walk to the ship, for old times sake. It isn’t far and it’s a nice day, so they set out on foot across their old neighborhoods, eager to burn off some of the excess energy that comes with being a Ranger.

Zack and Kimberly take the lead, her arm looped through his casually, heads bowed together as they chat the entire walk to the ship. Trini tries to ignore how jealous it makes her that they both found such a close friendship even with a Trini-sized hole in the middle of it.

Jason slings an arm over her shoulders and he grins down at her, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. They grin giddy smiles at one another, and Billy even slips his hand into Trini’s as they walk. They’re all clearly on a high.

Trini’s phone starts to ring about halfway to the ship and she falls back to answer it once she sees it’s from her business partner back in D.C. She meanders behind the group and spends five minutes on the phone clarifying a few things in a few of the recipes before she joins Jason and Billy again.

“Wow, your girls can’t even let you be gone two days without calling?” Kim remarks rather snidely from in front of them.

“That was the bakery actually,” Trini clarifies. “And I don’t have any girls.”

They pause at the top of the cliff leading to the ship.

“We never even got to say goodbye to Alpha and Zordon last time,” Billy says. 

“I’m sure they’ll forgive us,” Kimberly says, and she does her favorite move to leap into the pit, her backwards swan dive, whooping happily as she goes.

Trini finds herself as mesmerized by it after all these years as she was the first time Kimberly did it, even as annoyed as she is with Kim constantly busting her chops over the girls she’s dated.

The boys all race to leap off together, laughing and whooping as they do, yelling for her to follow as their voices trail off.

She takes it all in this time, knowing she gets a finite number of jumps off this cliff. She closes her eyes as a breeze ruffles her hair and the sun shines across her face, and she can hear the rest of them chatting happily below in the water. She feels so full in that moment that it nearly brings her to tears and she tries to sear this moment into her memory.

Finally she jumps, reveling in the way her stomach flips and the feeling of free falling until she splashes into the water below.

Trini nearly cries when they start to glow. She’s overwhelmed with relief that she gets this again, and she’s old enough and smart enough to embrace it for how special it is.

They share a glance and dip down below the surface of the water, until they swim through the barrier and land on their feet on the other side, like they haven’t missed a beat since they’ve been gone.

They race off towards the ship, where Alpha seems to be waiting for them rather impatiently.

“Rangers!” he chirps as soon as he sees them.

They let out a cheer, and Zack scoops him up in a hug that swings him around in a circle before letting him back to the ground, where he sways dizzily for a moment.

“Alpha, we missed you!” Jason says.

“We missed you too, Rangers,” Alpha replies, and Trini swears she can hear the edge of tears in his voice. Can robots cry?

The move further into the ship and they all greet Zordon just as enthusiastically. He gives them the rundown on the big evil that awoke their powers, but he doesn’t have any specifics and tells them that they should just start with some general training to get back into the swing of things. 

Because they have 11 days.

“11 days?!” Kimberly exclaims. She exchanges a wide-eyed look with the rest of them, who seem too stunned to speak.

“I know it isn’t much time,” Zordon says, but offers no further explanation. “All the more reason to get to work as soon as possible.”

“You heard him, Rangers,” Jason says as he leads them away from the wall.

“Rangers!” Alpha calls out, causing them all to stop. “Before you get started, I would like to run a full diagnostic on each of you.”

The words make Trini’s blood run cold, but what can she say now to get out of it without spilling the biggest secret she’s had in her life?

“Let’s just start with a quick scan to make sure you’re all still healthy,” Alpha chirps as he moves to start with Jason.

Trini tries not to panic. She struggles to come up with something…anything to get her out of Alpha’s scan.

“I’ll be back,” she lies. “Have to pee.”

She’s gone before any of them can even bother to comment, winding down halls that seem so familiar, yet so foreign all at once.

The ship is as pristine as it had been the first time they saw it. Alpha clearly perfected cleaning with 65 million years (plus ten) of experience. The girls’ dorm and bathroom are still spotless and functioning, and Trini eyes one particular bunk a bit wistfully, remembering all the times she and Kimberly snuck in when their parents were too much, or when they wanted to hide from the boys, or just be alone.

_Kim is sprawled out across one of the lower bunks, both arms wrapped around Trini’s body, and Trini isn’t sure she’s ever been so comfortable. The sheets are soft and warm and she swears she can hear the echo of rain in the far of distance, even though there should be no physical way that’s possible._

_Kim’s fingers are tracing imaginary patterns on her skin, across her back and along her hairline, pressing a kiss to her forehead every once in a while for good measure, and Trini has almost dozed off when Kim finally speaks._

_“T, we have to get up,” she whispers. “The boys will be here soon.”_

_Trini lets out a whine, and she swears she can feel Kimberly’s lips curl into a smile against her skin. “No.”_

_“Come on, babe,” Kimberly coaxes softly again. “We need to train, and you know Jason and Zack will never let us hear the end of it if they find out we’ve been here doing this instead of last period.”_

_Rather than reply, she presses her lips to Kimberly’s neck, savoring the feel of her skin for an extra moment._

_“My parents will be gone this weekend,” Kimberly tells her, sliding lower and turning so they’re face to face. Her eyes map slowly over Trini’s features and they soften in that way they only seem to when she’s looking at Trini, and it makes her melt inside every single time. “You can stay with me if you want?”_

_Trini nods. “I want.”_

_She leans forward, pressing her lips softly to Kim’s, hands_

_“I love you, Trini,” Kimberly suddenly blurts, eyes widening, like she absolutely never intended on saying the words aloud._

_“You do?”_

_She hates how her voice wavers and her hands start to shake, and how Kimberly is looking at her like she can see down to her soul, but there’s a hint of that fondness in her eyes that lets Trini know she’s done something that Kimberly thinks is adorable._

_“Of course I do,” Kimberly whispers, pulling her close enough to kiss, smoothing her thumb over the curve of Trini’s cheek. “You don’t have to say it back. You don’t have to say anything at all. I just couldn’t keep it inside any more.”_

_“Of course I love you too,” Trini says, breathless and kind of giddy._

_Kimberly absolutely lights up and Trini feels like she finally understands how the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes in the cartoon. It feels like hers has too. (and, sue her; it’s her favorite Christmas movie, to absolutely no one’s surprise)._

_Kimberly squeals and pulls her into a hug, peppering her face with kisses before she sort of hums out a sigh._

_“I love you.”_

_Trini pulls back enough just to catch her eye, presses a kiss to her lips and replies, “I love you too.”_

XXXXXX

She hides as long as she thinks she can get away with, her body broken out in a cold sweat, and she’s not sure if it’s the memories in this room, or what could be waiting for her outside the room, but she exits to face the music regardless.

She’s relieved when she makes her way back into the pit, the scans are done, and everyone seems to be waiting for her by the morphing grid.

“Master Trini,” Alpha says as he attempts to scan her as she makes her way to the others. “If you could just-,”

“I’ll do it later, Alpha,” she tells him, sidestepping him neatly to join the others, and luckily Alpha doesn’t push it.

Trini’s eyes are locked into her spot on the grid, and with each step she can feel her powers tingling beneath the surface of her skin just a little stronger the closer she gets. She glances around at the others, and they all seem to have the same expression, excitement and anticipation and downright joy at being able to do this again.

“It’s Morphin’ time,” Jason and Zack both say as they step onto the grid.

“Zack!” Jason huffs, and Trini hides a smile.

The boys exchange an annoyed expression, and Zack shrugs. “What? You always get to say it.”

Jason’s lips twitch and he waves his hand out in front of him as they all step on again. “All yours, Z.”

Zack rubs his hands together and looks up at all of them. “It’s Morphin’ time.”

The air begins to whip around them wildly as it always had, and Trini feels the tickle of the armor beneath her skin, but the longer they stand there the more they realize that nothing is happening.

Again.

The first time they ever tried to morph, and it didn’t happen, Trini suspected she was part of the problem. Turns out, it had been all of them. They had to form a bond before they’d be allowed the armor. This time? This time she knows without a doubt that it’s her fault. 

Hers and Kimberly’s.

“It didn’t work,” Billy says somewhat unnecessarily. 

“Shocking,” Zack mumbles sarcastically.

“We just need to focus,” Jason says.

“No,” Zack replies. “Some of us just need to get our heads out of our asses and talk to each other. For real.”

“Some of us are going to have more than a head in the ass if they don’t mind their own business,” Trini warns.

“Don’t get pissy with him because you’re pissed at me,” Kimberly cuts in.

“I’ll get pissy with whoever the hell I want, Princess,” Trini tells her.

“Alright, let’s calm down,” Jason tells them both. “We can train with no armor today, but you two really do need to sort it out. And it is sort of our business, Trini. It affects us all.”

“I know,” Trini mumbles. “Sorry, Zack.”

“It’s cool, homegirl,” Zack says as he slings an arm around her. “To the pit!”

XXXXXX

It doesn’t take long to get back into the swing of things with their training, but they’re a little older this time around, and getting thrown into walls and slamming into putties with no armor hurts a little more than it did when they were seventeen. Of course, excitement and adrenaline compensate for it. 

Zordon calls Jason back a few hours later while the other 4 are paired up and sparring, taking turns fighting against one another and teaming up to fight putties.

He returns, face pinched in a deep frown, eyes ominously drawn to Trini, which makes her stop short, earning a kick to the side of her face that Zack hadn’t been able to stop quickly enough.

“Ah!” she exclaims, stumbling to her knees, pressing a hand to her face, pulling back to see if she’s bleeding.

“Are you okay?” Zack asks, dropping to his knees next to her, checking over her face.

“I’m fine,” she says, allowing him to help her to her feet as the other three crowd around them to check on her. “Luckily you still kick like you used to,” she jokes, shoving Zack playfully, making him grin.

They fuss over her for a few moments, and she lets them, but she tries to ignore how teenage her never would have allowed this, and how much she’s really changed.

“What did Wall Dad want?” Kimberly asks.

Suddenly Jason’s smile vanishes, and his eyes are on her again.

“It’s Rita. She's back. Or, she will be.”

Trini feels her blood run cold.

It’s exactly what she had feared most. And exactly what she knew was coming for them again. For her again.

“T-“

“Let’s just get to work,” Trini says, cutting Jason off and turning away from them, nodding to Zack to urge him back to work.

The rest of them follow suit, exchanging worried glances as they do.

They barely stop. They train for hours, and they fall back into the same training patterns effortlessly. They’re all dripping with sweat several hours later when they decide to take a quick break.

“I know it’s the source of our powers and everything so I probably shouldn’t insult it. Not that it would know,” Kimberly grumbles as she sips some water, wincing as she rolls her shoulder, “but does anyone else think it’s sort of stupid that the Crystal can see ten years into the future to shut us off, but it can’t give us more than 11 days notice that something bad is coming?”

Trini snorts, but otherwise ignores her.

So she misses the way Kimberly looks at her.Her lips turned down and brow pinched, because she knows how badly Rita will rattle Trini. 

“Why does it have to be Rita?” Trini mumbles, her fingers instinctively reaching for scars that have long since faded. “Again.”

She doesn’t really mean to say the words out loud, and her cheeks flush a little when she can feel the weight of everyone’s sympathetic stares, but her eyes are drawn only to Kimberly’s.

Kimberly, who was there the first time. Who soothed her through her PTSD and her nightmares and cold sweats. Kimberly who held her hand and talked her down any time she was reminded of Rita.

“We beat her last time,” Jason reminds her softly. “And we were a lot younger and dumber than we are now. We’ll do it again.”

Trini swallows hard and nods in his direction, even if to only let him know she’s heard him. Because she’s not sure she can agree. How many times will Rita come back? How can they ever be sure she’s really gone, when they punted her into space and she’s still after them.

“And you’re not alone like you were last time,” Kimberly says softly. She shrugs when they all look her way, dropping her chin to focus on the water bottle in her hands. “Since we’re all under the same roof this time. A sneak attack on one of us would be really stupid.”

“Exactly!” Jason says, brightening. “Let’s get back to it for a bit. I don’t want to wear us out, but I think we still have a little left in the tank.”

The boys jump up and head back in, leaving the girls lingering behind them. Kim lets out a long sigh and reaches for Trini when she moves to follow them. 

“Look,” Kimberly says softly. “I know things are weird and tense between us right now, but I remember what she did to you back then. How it affected you. And she’s not going to get her hands on you again. I’ll kill her myself.”

Trini stares up at her, and she opens her mouth, but she’s cut off by the boys calling out to them to hurry up.

“Thanks, Kim.”

XXXXXX

Good? No good? Let me know with a comment? Thanks for reading. More up soon I hope!

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, continue or no?


End file.
